I am a poet, writer, and multidisciplinary artist whose work blurs the line between page poetry and social forms. I am interested in the ways that relations are created, whether between humans or between humans and the planet. I specialize in co-designing across asymmetries of power and lines of difference. My work draws from contemplative practice to imagine futures of repair.
For many years I taught writing and in the Peace Studies program at Goucher College. I now edit, teach, and collaborate in the classroom of the world. See the Work with Me page if that’s of interest.
My poetry books are Dark~Sky Society (2014), and the chapbook Bird in the Head (2005); nonfiction has appeared in Boston Review, Salon.com, the anthology, A Sense of Regard: Essays on Poetry and Race, as well as other places. Some places my poems have appeared include American Poetry Review, Harvard Review Online, POETRY, The Rumpus, and been featured in a Bill Moyers’ “Civic Poetry” special, curated by Kyle Dargan.
I’m grateful to have been honored with support from Yaddo, MacDowell, the Maryland State Arts Council, and many other places.
I live in Baltimore. If you’re moved to, reach out; I welcome new verse-family, colleagues, friends.
ailishhopper [at] gmail.com